[pbs] Agave virginica
Tony Avent
tony at plantdelights.com
Mon Jun 8 18:06:06 EDT 2009
Pamela:
The x Polifreda (polianthes x manfreda) are in flower here now and are
quite interesting. These are still on trial and have not yet been
released to the market. I look forward to trying the new horticultural
menage-a-trois x Polimangaves (agave x (polianthes x manfreda) from
breeder Jon Lindstrom. From a breeding point of view, this is quite
fascinating.
Jim mentioned the lumping of manfreda, agave, and polianthes, with which
I do not agree. One of the confusing factors is that some new species of
"agaves" were published from cultivated collections in Europe which
turned out to be x Mangaves and not Agaves. The fact that agaves are
monocarpic and evergreen while manfredas are decidious and
non-monocarpic should surely be enough to retain separate genera. Just
because they cross doesn't make them the same genera...except to some
taxonomists who insist that if they do cross, this constitutes lumping
the genera. Wait until they see the new x Velox...a cross of Verbena and
Phlox (reportedly a result of protoplast fusion)....we're talking
different families. That should turn the taxonomists on their heads.
Tony Avent
Plant Delights Nursery @
Juniper Level Botanic Garden
9241 Sauls Road
Raleigh, North Carolina 27603 USA
Minimum Winter Temps 0-5 F
Maximum Summer Temps 95-105F
USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
email tony at plantdelights.com
website http://www.plantdelights.com
phone 919 772-4794
fax 919 772-4752
"I consider every plant hardy until I have killed it myself...at least three times" - Avent
Pamela Slate wrote:
> Jim,
> I grow a Manfreda Agave cross that is marketed as Mangave 'Macho Mocha,' a very
> tough and handsome plant. It's foliage and flowers have Manfreda
> characteristics but unlike Agave spp., it is not monocarpic. Obviously, this
> isn't a cold climate but a hot one and these plants thrive here. However, the
> Manfreda parentage makes them prime rabbit food and I must use them as
> container plants. For a photo and much more info on this plant, see:
> http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?strLetter=M&plant_id=2
> 921&page=
>
> If this doesn't exactly answer your question, at least it's more information,
> including an observation from our member Tony Avent who has reported the plants
> have survived at 9 degrees F. I would think you could grow it successfully
> though you might need mulch and/or frost cloth in some winters.
>
> I'd like to grow Polianthes and would love to see the hybrids that have been
> produced from the Southeast - if anyone knows more about sources for them,
> please let me know. (I'm familiar with the products at Yucco Do).
>
> Thanks,
>
> Pamela Slate
> Carefree AZ
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pbs-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:pbs-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org] On
> Behalf Of Jim McKenney
> Sent: Monday, June 08, 2009 12:49 PM
> To: 'Pacific Bulb Society'
> Subject: [pbs] Agave virginica
>
> My plants of Agave (Manfreda) virginica have finally put on some size, and I
> check them daily for signs of bloom (no signs yet, but it’s early).
>
>
>
> These are the oddest plants. Although at first glance they look like some
> sort of xerophytic plant, when you touch them there is a surprise: the
> foliage looks as if it ought to be turgid, but instead it’s floppy and
> rubbery. More than anything else it reminds me of a plant whose root system
> has rotted and whose leaves are flagging.
>
>
>
> Are any of you growing the Polianthes – Manfreda hybrids or the Polianthes –
> Agave hybrids in cold climates?
>
>
>
> Jim McKenney
>
> jimmckenney at jimmckenney.com
>
> Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, 39.03871º North, 77.09829º West, USDA zone
> 7
>
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